


Tigger Holmes and the Case of the Poisoned Apple

by Small_Hobbit



Series: The Casebook of Tigger Holmes [6]
Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Winnie-the-Pooh - A. A. Milne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 16:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10222259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: Tigger Holmes has been summoned by a king to find a missing princess





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for LJ's fan flashworks "Apple" challenge

“Come along, Watson,” Tigger called, “we’ve received a summons.”  
  
“Can’t Pooh go instead?” Eeyore moaned.  
  
“I don’t know where he is and I haven’t got time to find him.  This is urgent; we’ve been summoned by a king.”  
  
This wasn’t strictly speaking true, Tigger had a fairly good idea where Pooh was and who he was with, and, in view of what they were probably doing, he wasn’t going to disturb them.  
  
There was a carriage waiting for them near the edge of the Hundred Acre Woods, so Tigger, wearing his sou’wester, and the bowler-hatted Eeyore climbed in.  
  
They arrived at the palace and were ushered into the Great Hall, where a king and a queen, who had hair as black as a raven’s wing, were sitting on thrones waiting for them.  In addition, on one side of the hall were two blond boys aged about ten to twelve, who were engaged in a mock sword fight, whilst on the other side there were two little dark haired boys playing with toy soldiers plus three bassinets.  
  
“Triplets,” exclaimed the king and queen proudly.  
  
In the middle of the hall was a young man who was gesturing wildly.  
  
“Thank you for coming so promptly,Tigger Holmes,” the king began.  “My daughter is missing and we thought it would be more discrete to consult you rather than the police.”  
  
“Tell me about your daughter,” Tigger began.  
  
“She is the most beautiful girl in the world,” the young man said.  He produced a locket and showed Tigger and Eeyore a young lady with hair as blond as the two boys.  
  
“Ah,” Eeyore said, turning to the king, “the apple of your eye.”  
  
The king looked a bit puzzled.  “Well, not really.  But I am very fond of her.”  
  
“And she,” the young man continued, “is a wicked stepmother.”  
  
One of the little boys sneezed loudly.  
  
“Hay fever,” the queen explained.  “Use a tissue not your sleeve.”  
  
The young man ignored the interruption.  “She gave her an apple.”  
  
“What’s wrong with that?” the queen asked.  “She wanted one.”  
  
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” one of the blond boys said, helpfully.  
  
“A poisoned apple,” the young man added.  
  
“I’m not sure this is helping us to find the princess,” Tigger said.  
  
“She can tell you where she is,” the young man replied, pointing at the queen.  “She’s a witch.”  
  
“Can you?” Tigger asked.  
  
“Oh, very well.”  The queen got up and walked over to a mirror which was hanging on one of the walls.  
 _“Mirror, mirror over the table,_  
 _Can you tell us where to find our Mabel?”_  
  
A picture of a very overgrown summerhouse appeared in the mirror.  
  
“Good heavens,” said the king.  “No-one’s been there in years.”  
  
He stood up and left the room, followed by the queen, Tigger, Eeyore, the young man and the two blond princes.  The nursemaid prevented the smaller boys from joining the procession.  
  
Part way along the path Tigger bent down and picked something up.  “Hmm, an apple peeler,” he said.  
  
“You stabbed her,” the young man shouted at the queen.  
  
“I thought you accused me of poisoning her,” the queen replied.  
  
“No blood,” said Tigger, “and this peeler would do less damage than one of those wooden swords.”  
  
They went a bit further and spotted some apple peel in the middle of the path.  
  
“Aha, the letter B,” said Eeyore, “the initial of the princess’ true love.”  
  
“But I’m Prince Gottfried,” the young man exclaimed.   
  
“So who’s B?”  
  
“Bernhard, my rival,” the prince replied.  
  
The king and queen exchanged glances.  
  
When they reached the summerhouse, all the blinds were down and it looked completely deserted.  But then a strange moan was heard, followed by another in a higher voice.  
  
“Back to the palace at once!” the king said to the two boys.  
  
“But father …”  
  
“Don’t argue, just go!”  
  
Meanwhile, the prince had walked up to the summerhouse and had been peering through the gap between the blind and the edge of the window.  He turned, very red-faced, and for once totally speechless.  
  
“Ah,” said the king, “bit unfortunate, that.”  
  
“Well,” said Tigger, “since the princess has been found, it must be time for us to leave.”  
  
“Thank you for all your assistance,” the king said.  “I knew we didn’t want to involve the police.”  



End file.
